Microsoft Rewards Africa with Free Software Pack

In its bid to lower access barrier to and deliver a significant cost savings to African consumers, Microsoft has announced the launch of  ‘Africa Pack,’ a suite of popular Microsoft technologies and locally-relevant content free to consumers across Africa.
Africa pack is available to customers who purchase or currently run a genuine version of Windows 7. 
The new solution is made available in Nigeria to Hewlett Packard (HP) to distribute with new PCs that are preinstalled with, or bundled with locally attached, copies of genuine Windows from December 2011 through January 2012. 
The suite available in both English and French includes local language interface (LIP) packs for the continent’s most widely spoken local languages including KiSwahili, Igbo, Hausa, Yoruba. Amharic is also already available free to consumers.
However, the high cost of bandwidth and limited access to internet makes it difficult for many consumers in Africa to download them easily. In a sample of countries in West, East, and Central Africa for example, the commercial value of an antivirus software is $30 per PC per year; the cost of downloading this one application via the Internet ranges from $25-$40 in bandwidth costs. 
“By making these tools available offline, we’re lowering the barrier to access and delivering a significant cost savings to African consumers,” explained Hennie Loubser, general manager of Microsoft West, East, Central Africa and Indian Ocean Islands. “The Africa Pack has the added benefit of delivering a localized experienced when using those tools, where the user interface is in the user’s native language.”
The first edition of the Microsoft Africa Pack includes Microsoft Security Essentials, Windows Live Essentials, Windows Live Essentials, Local Language Interface Packs (LlP) for KiSwahili, Igbo, Hausa, Yoruba, and Amharic, Internet Explorer 9 and Windows 7 Service Pack 1.
 “Access to enhancements and innovations in the Africa Pack is just one of the benefits of purchasing genuine versions of Microsoft software,” said Loubser. “Customers get the most value for their money – the highest quality experience and the best protection – when they buy genuine.”
Speaking on the promo run, Adimogo Isiakpona, Marketing manager, PSG, Hewlett Packard Nigeria said, “We are happy to partner with Microsoft, this festive period, to reward our loyal customers for their patronage”.  
Microsoft will distribute an initial 10,000 copies of its Africa Pack to managed partners and distributors across West, East, Central Africa and Indian Ocean Islands, and additional copies within the region in coming months.